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Kamaru Usman injected humor into the infamous nickname given to him by long-time rival Colby Covington during his visit to Nigeria.
Usman, who with his partners will be debuting the first ever MMA promotion (Face Off: Fight Night) in Lagos on January 7, decided to work out in the gym during his trip.
That was when he brought up the 'CEO of EPO' nickname while consuming a hydration drink. Covington claimed last year that 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has "been doing EPO (Erythropoietin) his whole career" and has insane testosterone levels.
"There is a reason we are in this position right now. It's because we work everywhere we go. So we can't slip up now. We can't start slacking off when the rest of the world is aiming for me. So even when I am out of commission, I'm still in commission. Getting this work done. You know this is just generic, a little hydration drink mix. Really no brand but the hydration mix. EPO, you know I am the CEO," said Usman.
Watch Kamaru Usman promote and present mixed martial arts on a whole new scale in his native land of Nigeria below:
Usman has defeated 'Chaos' twice in his career. The duo faced off for the first time at UFC 245 in December 2019 and the former won via TKO in the fifth and final round.
He also won a rematch at UFC 268 in November 2021, this time via a unanimous decision inside New York City's historic Madison Square Garden.
Kamaru Usman has claimed four post-fight bonuses in his last seven UFC fights
Many MMA fans have called Kamaru Usman a boring fighter in the past. He only had one post-fight bonus in his first eight UFC bouts and was criticized for his grappling-heavy fighting style.
Usman used to mostly rack up decision wins in the past but has now turned over a new leaf in his career with improved boxing technique. He knocked out top welterweight contenders Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal on the way to successfully defend his belt.
The 34-year-old superstar is the No.1-ranked men's pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC and he has bagged three 'Performance of the Night' and one 'Fight of the Night' awards since November 2018.
